


It Doesn't Happen Over Night

by TheRoseKingofLegend (TheRoseKingOfLegend)



Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Falling In Love, Falling Out of Love, Gally's an ass, Highschool AU, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Suicide, Newt doesn't deserve his shitty life, Slow Build, Sorry Not Sorry, Thomas is really Stiles in disguise (kind of), a little bitty rape, happy sex later, maybe an attempted suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-27 09:30:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6279034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRoseKingOfLegend/pseuds/TheRoseKingofLegend
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Newt knew this wasn't how love was supposed to feel. Shaky, scared, bruised. He knew he had to get out, but he didn't know how. Enter Thomas, an awkward kid with a lot of quirks. He's kind and gentle, and is that a crush? Newt wants nothing more than to be normal. Maybe Thomas can be his normal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Maze Runner fanfic and also my first multi-chapter fanfic. I have no idea how many chapter it'll have. We will see. Please bear with me. Comments are helpful!

Chapter One 

It was days like this that Newt wished he could just stay home and forget that the outside world existed. All he wanted was peace and quiet, but obviously that was not going to happen. 

As soon as he arrived at school, he became aware of a crackle of tension coating the atmosphere. He made sure to steer clear of crowds for the time being. He made his way to his classroom, starting to relax as he reached the door. That calm feeling was shot away damn fast. It didn’t take very long for him to figure out what was wrong. 

Gally was on the war-path. He stormed his way over to where Newt stood, his nostrils flaring and his hands balled up into fists. 

“Is there a goddamn reason you didn’t call me last night like I told you to?” Gally gripped Newt’s upper arm in a painful clasp. Newt shrunk away as best he could. He didn’t want to be struck. 

“I forgot. I’m sorry.” His voice was soft, almost a whimper. He turned his face away from his boyfriend, hoping that Gally was feeling light-handed today. 

Gally didn’t hit him. Instead, he pulled Newt into his own chest and squeezed him in a hug. Newt sighed against the bigger boy. 

“It’s okay. Just don’t do it again. Call me tonight, I’m serious.” Gally’s voice was low, and gentle, but he had somehow worked a threat in there. Newt nodded, his cheek still resting against Gally’s impressively muscular chest. They separated when a teacher yelled at them. Newt sat down in his usual back-of-the-classroom seat and stared down at the desk in front of him. 

Newt had once been madly in love with Gally. 

Gally had asked Newt out in sophomore year, and Newt had agreed way too fast. Everything went great for a year. Right up until they entered junior year. That’s when Gally’s attitude and demeanor changed. He was angry with Newt, all the time, and he often showed it with a palm against his cheek or knuckles against his ribs. He wanted to tell someone, his parents, a teacher, one of his very few friends, but Gally had threatened him. He warned Newt that if he ever told anyone about what was going on, he’d kill him. Newt wasn’t sure if that was possible, but he dared not take the chance. So he stayed. He tried his best to stay out of the way and kept his head down. The less he angered Gally, the better. 

After school, Newt drove home and did homework, and then called his boyfriend. They chatted for a few minutes, and then Gally hung up. 

Newt cried himself to sleep, like always.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the extremely short chapters. I think they'll get longer, but I'm not sure.

Chapter Two

Newt hated school. Everything about it sucked. First, it was school. No one liked school, no matter how much they said otherwise. Newt was smart, and he knew that, but he still hated it. Second, Gally was there. It was the only time in his life when he was genuinely afraid to even walk down a hall, for fear that his vicious lover would pop up and beat the shit out of him. 

Newt had a relatively easy day. On his way out of his last class, he pulled out his cell phone and checked for any missed messages. None. 

Someone slammed right into Newt, causing them both to go sprawling to the floor, a flurry of feet and backpacks and papers littering the air. Newt groaned and then sat up. He began collecting the papers and shuffling them into a messy pile. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. That was completely my fault. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” The boy that Newt had collided with started scrambling to pick up his things. He jutted forward and the top of his head rammed into Newt’s face. “Oh god!” The boy grabbed Newt’s face and pulled it up to his level. Newt was taken aback by the boy. He was handsome, very handsome. He had matching dark brown eyes and hair. He had quite a few beauty marks peppering his cheeks and forehead. His nose stuck up, forming an adorable point at the end. Newt couldn’t help but stare at the beautiful stranger. 

“Newt? Are you okay?” Minho, one of Gally’s friends asked. Newt shook himself mentally and pulled out of the boy’s grasp. He stood up, a stack of unorganized papers in his hands. The boy stood as well and took them from him. 

“I’m really sorry.” The boy sounded genuine. 

“It’s fine. I’m fine.” Newt was lying. His eye throbbed. He knew he’d bruise, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. “Be careful.” Then he walked away, keeping his head down until he reached his car in the parking lot.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little bit longer! This is going to be the slowest building story ever. Stick with me!

Chapter Three

Newt literally couldn’t get that boy out of his mind. He had thought about him all of the previous afternoon and well into the night. He was just so good looking, and seriously awkward. 

Newt looked forward to school, if only so he could see his mysterious obsession. He didn’t see the boy for a long time. When he entered the cafeteria for lunch, he looked around but didn’t see him. He did see Gally, however, and after he bought his lunch he walked over slowly. Gally was in a very good mood, thank God, and Newt graced him with a gentle smile. 

“But then I couldn’t get through this damn secret level that I’d found!” Gally’s voice was loud, louder than necessary, and it grated on Newt’s nerves. “Hi beautiful.” Gally leaned down and planted an irritatingly loving kiss to Newt’s lips. He returned it out of obligation. 

Newt hated it when Gally was sweet with him. He hated it more than when he got violent. It felt wrong, and he felt guilty for liking the attention. The worst part was that he knew Gally was still in love with him. 

“Hey Minho, have you seen that guy from yesterday?” Newt peeled a pepperoni off of his pizza. He let his English accent drip thick because Gally didn’t like it. 

“Yeah. He’s in my History class. He’s weird. Just sat in the back, staring at the wall.” Minho shoveled his own food into his mouth and talked around it. Newt wasn’t particularly fond of Minho, but he was a good guy. He had stopped Gally from beating the shit out of Newt a few times. “His name’s Thomas.” 

“What happened yesterday?” Gally asked, a hint of jealousy seeping into his tone. 

“He crashed into me after class. I just wanted to know if he was okay.” Newt shoved a huge bite of pizza in his mouth to have an excuse to not talk anymore. Gally nodded slowly, but his face remained scrunched, like he didn’t quite believe his boyfriend. 

Newt finally met Thomas in his last class. He was already sitting when the awkward lad walked in. He looked around the room, a lost expression gracing his attractive features. His eyes finally settled on Newt and a light of recognition shone. He made his way over and sat in the desk to the right of Newt. 

“Hi! Sorry for yesterday. I can be really clumsy sometimes.” Thomas pulled out all of his creative writing tools, fully prepared for anything that could possibly happen. When he had finished that, he turned his full body towards Newt. “I’m Thomas.” 

“Newt.” Newt twirled his pencil between his fingers. Thomas grinned, his straight white teeth showing. Newt gave a small smile back. Mrs. Nina walked in, capturing everyone’s attention. 

“It’s Friday, I’m lazy, do whatever you want. But don’t leave.” She sat at her desk and pulled out her cell phone. 

“Does she do this often?” Thomas asked. Newt shook his head. 

“She’s usually really on top of things. I guess she’s had a bad week.” Newt turned to the strange boy sitting next to him. “So you’re new here?” 

“Yeah, and it really sucks.” Thomas sighed, and then realized what he’d just said. “Ah! No, I just meant that moving sucks. Especially being a senior and moving a month before I graduate. But my dad got transferred for work and we had to move.” 

“That does suck.” Newt said. Thomas stared at him for a second, and then laughed. 

Newt took an immediate liking to Thomas. The guy was seriously strange, but he was also really funny and he seemed really happy. He told Newt all about where he used to live and his family. Newt didn’t say a whole lot, which Thomas seemed to think was just fine. When the bell for the end of class rang, Thomas’s face fell slightly. Both boys put away their stuff and left the room. Newt turned towards Thomas outside the door. 

“It was nice to meet you, you know, without colliding.” Newt smiled again, probably the hundredth time since class had started. Thomas’s laugh was low and filled with mirth. 

“You two, Newt. See you Monday.” And then Thomas walked away, disappearing into the crowd of students fighting to escape this prison. Newt could feel himself still smiling, and as he made his way out to his own car, he made a promise to himself to become real friends with Thomas.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters are getting longer and they're coming up way faster than I had thought. Comments are still really helpful, so that I can see feedback! Thank you all!

Chapter Four

The weekend dragged on and on for Newt. He just could not get Thomas out of his head. He’d only known the guy for a couple days, had only spoken to him for an hour, but he was infatuated. His situation wasn’t helped by the fact that Gally seemed to sense his disloyalty somehow. He was rough with Newt on Saturday when they went on a date. And when they reached Newt’s house afterward, he had to fight with Gally about having sex. He made up some bullshit excuse, saying he had a headache. Gally didn’t believe him, and then he had to say that his parents were going to be home that night, which was another lie. They and his sister weren’t due home for another two days. But Gally seemed to finally get the hint and let him go in alone. 

Thomas was a really good guy. He proved that fact all throughout the next week. Newt was grumpy, because of his fight with Gally, so Thomas just made him laugh as much as possible. And he didn’t pry, like most people would have. By the next Friday, Newt couldn’t be mad if he tried. 

“Your little brother sounds like a dweeb.” Newt said as they stepped out the door. Class was over, and Newt was sad to have to wait two whole days to see Thomas.

“Yeah, Chuck’s weird. But he’s a good kid.” Thomas leaned on the wall next to where Newt was standing. “Hey, would you like to hang out this weekend? You could show me around town.” 

Newt hesitated before answering. He glanced up and down the hall, and then chewed on his lip. 

“Hey, it’s cool. Let me just give you my number and then you can text me or not, no big deal.” Thomas smiled his dazzling smile again and Newt gave in. He handed Thomas his cell phone and watched his fingers move over the screen. Newt found his hands extremely sexy. And then he berated himself mentally for thinking any part of Thomas was sexy. “There. Text me anytime?” It was phrased as a question, so Newt nodded and took his phone back. He let his fingers linger against Thomas’s for a beat too long. Thomas meandered away, leaving Newt to his thoughts. 

“You cheating little bitch.” Gally’s snarl sounded way too close. Newt spun to find him only ten feet away. Gally grabbed Newt’s arm, wrenching it up at a painful angle. Newt bit back a cry, knowing it would bring too much attention to them. He was dragged out to the parking lot by Gally. Once there and out of the immediate view of anyone, Gally got violent. He shoved Newt against Gally’s truck and whipped a hand across his face. Newt whimpered and brought his hands up to protect his face from further blows. 

“Gally, please. I’m not cheating on you.” Newt’s pleas were unheard. 

“I just saw you flirting with that fucker, Isaac.” Gally only used Newt’s real name when he was really pissed off. Newt hated his name. 

“He just gave me his number because he’s new in town. I was never going to text him, I swear!” Newt knew his words meant nothing right now. Not when Gally was like this. 

“Get in the fucking truck.” Gally yanked the door open and shoved Newt inside. He hopped in and drove to his house. There was never anyone there because his parents were both doctors. 

Newt took the rape with grace. He lay on his stomach on the bed, making very little noise and hardly moving. It hurt, but then again, it always hurt. The difference was that this time he had expressly said he didn’t want it. All the other times he’d kept that to himself. 

As soon as Gally fell asleep, Newt was up and out the door. He was miles from the school or his house and it had gotten cold out. He took his phone out of his pocket and stared at the screen. He could call his parents, but he’d probably get in trouble for being inconvenient. Minho wasn’t an option, he’d tell Gally. The only other person he could think of was Thomas. Was it too weird of him to ask for a ride this late? He sighed and called anyways. 

“Hello?” Thomas sounded fully awake, so Newt at least felt okay about that. 

“Hi. It’s Newt. Sorry to call so late.” He chewed on his lip and wrapped his free arm around himself. 

“No worries. What’s up?”

“I have kind of a strange request.” He paused for a moment. “Do you think you could pick me up and drive me home?”

“Yeah, absolutely. Adress?” Newt relayed the address to Thomas, who must have memorized it or written it down. “That’s pretty close to me, I think. I’ll be there soon.” 

“Thank you, Tommy.” 

“Anytime, Newt.” He hung up then and Newt sat on the curb, shivering. It was only a few minutes later that a dark car rolled up next to him. He stood and then bent to see who was inside. Thomas smiled at him. He smiled back and got in the car, thankful for the warm air blasting through the vents. 

“I really appreciate this.” He curled up in the seat and looked over at Thomas. 

“Yeah. What are you doing way out here? I noticed your car still at the school when I left.” Thomas pulled away from the curb and drove slowly down the road. 

“My boyfriend lives there.” Newt gestured to the house. “He fell asleep and I didn’t want to bother him.” 

“So you bothered me instead?”

“I’m really sorry. You don’t have to take me if you don’t want to.” 

“I’m joking. Calm down.” Thomas chuckled, which relaxed Newt a bit. “So, boyfriend.” Not a question. 

“Yeah. We’ve been together since 10th grade.” Newt wasn’t sure how much to say to this guy he barely knew. 

“Wow. The longest relationship I ever had was with a girl in my mind.” Thomas was joking like always, and for some reason it made Newt want to cry. “But she broke that off a long time ago.” Newt laughed despite himself.

They fell silent after Newt gave Thomas his house address. Thomas kept glancing over at Newt, which Newt could feel more than see. He knew he looked bad. Bruised up and probably tired. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Thomas stopped Newt from exiting the car with a gentle hand on his arm. Newt looked at the hand and then at Thomas’s face. 

“Yeah. I’m good. Thank you so much for this.” 

“Like I said, anytime.” He gave Newt his best grin. 

Newt watched the car drive away, again feeling like he was going to cry. He walked into the house and put everything from his mind.


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments comments comments! Please! And thank you!

Chapter Five

Newt refused to answer any texts or calls for the rest of the weekend. He was feeling awful, beaten and raped. He cried all the time. Eventually his parents noticed that he wasn’t eating and became worried. 

“Isaac? Can we come in?” Newt’s mom didn’t wait for an answer. She just came in. Newt scrambled to pull the sheets up to hide his body. He had some unexplainable bruises, thanks to his supposed lover. His mom must have noticed because her eyebrows squished together in a look of worry. 

“I’m fine.” Newt’s tone was a little more harsh than he had intended. His dad sat down on the bed next to him. 

“We didn’t ask.” He put the back of his hand on Newt’s forehead. “No fever.”

“Now we’re asking. What’s wrong?” His mom sat in his desk chair. 

“Nothing. I’m just tired. Can I stay home from school and catch up on sleep?” He didn’t think that would actually work, but it was worth a try. 

“Isaac, honey, you know you can tell us anything, right?” His mom was using her mom voice. He wanted to cry, probably for the millionth time that day.

“I know. I’m okay.” He so desperately wanted to tell them. How he felt terrified all the time, how Gally abused him, how he was in love with a boy he barely knew. But his mouth seemed incapable of forming the words. 

“Alright. If you say so. You can stay home Monday and Tuesday, but you have to go the rest of the week.” Newt’s dad pushed Newt’s hair from his face and then stood. They both left and Newt closed his eyes. 

Staying home from school for two days only made Newt feel worse. Teresa, Newt’s sister, only bothered him once, to ask him to do the dishes. He begrudgingly rolled out of bed, stomped downstairs, washed the dishes, and then went back up to his room.

Tuesday night at 11:30, just before he wanted to go to sleep, he turned his phone back on. His worries came to fruition. He had 28 texts and 15 voicemails from Gally. He read all the messages and listened to all the voicemails. Gally went from angry, to worried, to apologetic, to furious. Thomas had only sent him one text message. It read ‘Hey Newt. Hope you feel better soon. I miss seeing you in class. Tommy’. 

Newt’s heart tightened at the sight of the message. He knew he was in love.


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, please send me feedback! It's super helpful! This chapter is a little bit longer. I'm trying!

Chapter Six

Wednesday, Newt’s hands shook on his way to school. He hadn’t responded to either Gally or Thomas. He was on the verge of tears, again, as he parked and got out of his car. He stared at the ground all the way to class. He heard a few people call his name, but he clenched his jaw and ignored them. He went through his first classes without saying anything to anyone and keeping his head down. When lunch rolled around, he made the decision to skip it and go to the library. Minho saw him there. 

“Hey. Are you and Gally fighting?” 

“No. I’m just not feeling well today. Thought I’d sit somewhere quiet.” Newt was telling the truth. Minho just shrugged and continued on his way. 

Newt entered creative writing fully intending to ignore Thomas. But he was pulled towards the boy, almost like he had some gravitational force around him. Thomas smiled at Newt and waited for him to sit before saying anything. 

“Would you like to know what you missed?” He turned to the notes in his notebook. Newt nodded, and Thomas read off the general idea of what he had missed in class. Newt wasn’t really paying any attention. He was caught up in the way Thomas’ mouth moved when he spoke. He hated himself for it, but the only thing he could think of at the moment was kissing those lips. “Newt?”

“Oh, sorry Tommy. Lost in thought.” He fidgeted in his seat. Thomas watched him. He suddenly felt very uncomfortable. 

“That’s okay.” 

“I’m sorry Tommy. We just can’t be friends anymore.” His mouth had spoken without asking him first. But the sad part was that he knew it was true. Gally thought they were flirting or whatever, and if he wanted to keep himself relatively free of harm, he had to cut Thomas off. He really didn’t want to, but it was a necessary evil. 

“Newt…” Thomas looked really upset. Newt stood. 

“I’m sorry.” He walked to the other side of the room and sat. 

Gally was outside of the classroom when he exited. He braced himself for a slap or something worse, but none came. Instead, Gally wrapped an arm around Newt’s slim shoulders and guided him gently to the parking lot. 

“How was your day?” Gally was being very gentle with Newt. Newt’s hackles were immediately up. 

“Fine. Nothing exciting.” He stopped by his car, causing Gally to stop as well. 

“Oh. And how about Thomas. You see him today?” There it was. That little lilt in his voice. Gally was searching for a reason to pick a fight. 

“Yeah. I told him to piss off, leave me alone.” He unlocked his door and readied himself to jump in. He was on edge. 

“Oh good. Would you come to my house? I think we need to talk.” Gally took his hand and kissed his knuckles. “Please?” Newt huffed, but agreed. He followed Gally home in his own car. He wanted to be able to leave if he had to. Gally offered him a soda when they walked in the door. Then they sat on the couch together. 

“Gally…” He started. 

“Wait. Just listen to me. I want to apologize for hurting you. You know I didn’t mean it. I love you. I’ve always loved you. Please forgive me.” He leaned down and planted a sweet, gentle kiss on Newt’s lips. Newt hesitated, but kissed him back. He couldn’t help it. There were still some feelings swimming around in his chest. “You’re the sweetest, most beautiful, sexiest man around.” Newt closed his eyes and let his boyfriend seduce him. He kissed Gally back, wrapped his arms around his neck, let his body feel all the sensations Gally was causing in him. 

Gally was the gentlest he’d ever been when they had sex later. He made Newt climax first and then cleaned them both up afterward. Newt ended up staying the night, sleeping in Gally’s muscular arms. 

Newt woke up feeling smothered. He shoved Gally away and sat up. Gally grumbled, but sat up as well. 

“What’s wrong with you?” He rubbed Newt’s back. 

“Nothing. I’m just too hot. You can go back to sleep.” Newt gave Gally a small smile. Gally laid back and held his arms out. Newt lay down on his chest. 

“I really love you.” Gally kept his voice soft. 

“I know. I love you too.” Newt was lying. He did not love Gally, he hadn’t for a long time. But he had enjoyed the night before. He didn’t say anything else, but just listened to Gally falling asleep.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments are appreciated. If you've stuck with me this long, I congratulate you! And thanks!

Chapter Seven

Newt felt terrible about it, but he continued to ignore Thomas. Gally was in a really good mood lately, and he didn’t want to ruin that. Gally was being extra loving towards Newt the week after their love-making. He would kiss Newt sweetly when he saw him, he’d hold his hand, he’d buy him food, he’d croon at him. All things that a normal good boyfriend would get. Newt was basking in the glow. He took what he could get. 

Thomas didn’t try to talk to Newt, but he did text him quite often. Newt never replied, but he always read the messages. He knew deep down in his heart that he was in love with Thomas. He couldn’t deny himself that, but he had control over whether or not Thomas loved him. He was doing his best to push Thomas far away. 

“Okay class, today I would like you to find a partner and go an exercise. I want you to start out with one line on a piece of paper. The second person has to write the next line without knowing the first, and so on and so on until you have fifteen lines. And break.” Mrs. Nina clapped her hands. Newt looked around, but wasn’t fast enough. Thomas as sitting down in front of him before he could even get one word out. 

“We need to talk.” Thomas kept his voice low. Newt didn’t say anything back, but instead started the assignment. Thomas wrote his line quickly and passed it back. “I’m serious.”

“We need to focus on getting this done, not chit chatting about things that have nothing to do with you.” Newt did his best to sound cold. Thomas stared at him, his bow-shaped lips pressed into a hard line. 

“What’s going on? Did I do something to offend you?” He looked genuinely hurt. They were getting through their exercise fast. 

“No. Stop. I don’t want to talk about this with you.” Newt wrote the last line and then unfolded it. He stared down at the paper, his eyes taking in exactly none of the words. 

“Why? Is it because of Gally? Is he stopping you?” 

Newt glared hard at Thomas. It was so unfair of him to be so worried when Newt had no other option. 

“Newt…” But Newt didn’t let him finish. He shoved his chair back and stood. 

“Stop talking to me!” His voice was too loud, so high pitched. He swiped up his bag and ran out the door. Tears stung his eyes, threatening to spill over.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! It's getting serious now, and I really hate writing about Newt getting hurt! But now the drama is kicking in!

Chapter Eight

Newt drove home, which he realized was a terrible idea later, but he was not a rational person most of the time. He parked his car in the drive way and then made his way inside, doing his best to be quiet and not draw any attention to himself. It seemed to work, because he made it to his room without his parents noticing. He sat on his bed, his head in his hands. 

Gally called later. He said that he wanted to see Newt, that he missed him. Newt told him it was fine, and then waited. 

“I heard about your freak out in class. Are you okay?” Gally cupped Newt’s face in his hands, cradling him. Newt nodded and smiled. He really loved this side of Gally. He pursed his lips, a silent request for a kiss. Gally obliged him. 

It wasn’t often that Gally made out with Newt and didn’t immediately want sex. But that day, he seemed content to just lie there, holding his lover. Newt drifted off into a peaceful sleep, using Gally’s chest as a pillow. 

 

“Why the fuck is Thomas texting you?” 

The sudden loud harshness of Gally’s tone startled Newt awake. He sat up quickly to see Gally standing at his desk, holding his phone out. A wave of panic washed over Newt. He stood slowly, holding his gaze on Gally. 

“I thought I fucking told you to stop talking to that fucker.” Gally’s voice was too loud, he was going to be heard. 

“Gally, please. Calm down. Nothing is going on between us.” Newt was literally pleading. But it didn’t work. Gally took a big step forward and buried his fist in Newt’s stomach. Newt opened his mouth to scream, but no noise escaped. Gally then gripped a fistful of Newt’s shaggy blond hair and used his free hand to punch Newt in the face. Newt struggled, and managed to push Gally away. His eye throbbed, and it was hard to breathe, but all he cared about at that moment was getting away. Gally didn’t allow him the chance. He leapt onto Newt, driving his fists into his body over and over. All Newt could do was cover his head and plead for his life. 

It seemed like hours before Gally stopped, but in reality it was probably only a few minutes. Newt lay on the floor, chest heaving. He watched as Gally stood, his knuckles red and angry. 

“I didn’t want to do this, Newt, but I had no other choice. You didn’t give me any other choice.” And then Gally left. Newt stayed on the floor. Gally had only hit him in the face once. After a while, he pushed himself up and stumbled to the bathroom. He locked the door and then took his clothes off to look at the damage. Already forming bruises littered his entire torso. He got in the shower, washed off, and then crawled into bed. He refused to cry.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! We get to the good stuff! This is going to be a really long story.

Chapter Nine

Newt woke up in bed, the sheets tangled around his legs and his head throbbing. It took him a minute, but the images of Gally pounding into him washed into his brain. He curled in on himself and immediately regretted it. Every part of his body hurt. He took a few deep breaths, and then sat up. He noticed his phone lighting up and grabbed it off the nightstand. He had a text from Teresa. ‘Hope you feel better soon, Newter. Mom, dad and I are going to see Aunt Ava. We should be home tomorrow evening.’ Newt suddenly felt scared. He was alone and Gally might come back. 

There was also a series of texts from Thomas. Newt hesitated, but read them after some consideration. 

 

'Newt, we need to talk about what happened.'

 

'Newt, I know there’s something wrong, please talk to me.'

 

'Gally is an ass. Please text me.'

 

'Seriously, I’m freaking out.'

 

'NEWT!'

 

'I’m coming over unless you text me back within ten minutes.'

 

'That’s it, I’m heading over.'

 

Newt panicked a little. He knew he looked terrible. His face and body were riddled with bruises. He got up from the bed and went into the bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face, to calm himself. He could make up a lie. He could tell Thomas that he was in a car accident. But his car was outside, and it was fine. He fell down the stairs, he slipped in the shower, he lost a fight with a girl, he wrestled an alligator… Nothing was believable. He’d just have to tell Thomas to fuck off, that it was none of his business. 

Newt had just pulled his shirt on when the front door opened. He froze in place, terrified for many reasons. 

“Newt?” It was Thomas, the lesser of two evils. “I know you’re here. Your car is out front and the door wasn’t locked.” 

Newt padded down the stairs slowly, trying his best to hide the left side of his face. That was the worst side. He was walking with a slight limp. 

“You can’t just come into my house, Tommy.” Newt kept his voice light, but he wanted to scream. He was extremely worried about what Thomas would do when he found out about Gally. 

“Well, then you shouldn’t leave…” Thomas cut himself off with a harsh gasp. He stared at Newt’s face, his own face betraying all of his thoughts. 

“It’s not that bad.” Newt felt the need to defend the way he looked. 

“Jesus Christ! Newt! What the hell happened to you?” Thomas stepped forward and inspected the contusions littering Newt’s face and neck. 

“It’s none of your business, Thomas.” Newt hated the way the words tasted coming out of his mouth, but he was doing this for his own protection. Gally was unpredictable. 

“Are you fucking kidding me? You’ve been beaten half to death, Newt!” Newt could see the anger rising in Thomas’s face, and for some reason, it scared him. 

“I don’t need your help.” 

Thomas’s body tensed up, and he furrowed his brow. 

“I’m so sorry to have bothered you. You obviously don’t want me here. You have fun having your face beat in every time you say a wrong word.” Thomas turned slowly on his heel and headed for the door. 

The words bubbled up and spilled over without asking Newt’s permission first.

“He said he’d kill me!” He hadn’t meant to shout, but he didn’t seem to be able to control himself anymore. He leaned on the railing towards Thomas. “He kept telling me that he’d kill me if I told anyone. I didn’t know what to do! I’m so scared all the time, I can’t sleep, I can’t concentrate on anything! I just want this to end!” 

Thomas had paused at the door, and he was now facing Newt. 

“I tried to end it, six months ago. I swallowed a bottle of pills, but I couldn’t do it! I was too weak, too pathetic to go through with it! I’m so stupid and useless!” Tears streamed down his face in torrents. 

Before he could react, Newt was being swept up into a massive embrace. He wrapped his arms around Thomas’ neck and sobbed into his shirt. His whole body shook, so hard that his knees gave out. Thomas caught him and slid down the wall, holding onto Newt for dear life. 

“You’re not stupid or useless. You’re perfect.” Thomas’s crooning was oddly soothing. He kissed Newt’s hair and forehead, all while he rocked back and forth. Newt eventually ceased his blubbering and looked up at Thomas. “You know, you’re really not cute when you cry.” Newt couldn’t help but laugh. He wiped at his face with the backs of his hands. 

“I’m so much more manly than this, I swear.” Thomas chuckled, but then his face fell and he huffed a big sigh. “What?”

“We have to go to the police. This cannot go on any longer. Gally needs to be arrested for what he’s done to you, which I suspect is a lot more than this.” Newt didn’t like what Thomas was saying. 

“I can’t. He’ll get angry…” Thomas shook his head and Newt stopped talking. 

“He won’t even know until he’s being handcuffed and thrown in jail.” Thomas started to stand up, taking Newt with him. “Newt, you have to. Or at least tell your parents. They’ll see the bruises anyways.” 

“I’ve had bruises before.” Newt stepped away from Thomas, suddenly feeling very claustrophobic. 

“How bad are they?” Thomas reached a hand out and Newt flinched, his reflexes working faster than his brain. Thomas immediately withdrew his hand and stepped back. “I would never hit you, Newt.” 

“I know, I’m sorry. But I can’t go to the police. I promise I’ll tell my parents when they get home tomorrow.” Newt combed a hand through his messy blond tresses and watched Thomas. 

“Okay, deal. Are you here alone?” Newt nodded. Thomas’s eyebrows smashed together once again. “I’m going to stay here with you until they get back. I don’t trust Gally not to come back and hit you some more.”

Thomas made grilled cheeses for the both of them and they ate silently at the table. Newt could feel more than see Thomas looking him up and down, trying to assess the full extent of the damage. It made him feel scrutinized and he hated it, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell Thomas to stop. After they were done eating, Newt led his strange protector up to his room. The room was a mess. Clothes and books were strewn everywhere, there were dirty dishes piled on his desk, and his bed was ferociously unmade. 

“Sorry for the mess.” 

“Nah. Mine’s worse than this.” Thomas perched himself on the end of Newt’s bed and looked around at the posters and things hanging from the walls. Newt pretended to straighten up the desk. He didn’t know what to say. It seemed like he never knew how to do anything. “Newt, are you okay?” 

Again, he didn’t have an answer. He stayed with his back to Thomas and closed his eyes. He heard Thomas stand from the bed and walk over to him. His body tensed up, waiting for contact. Nothing touched him. He looked over his shoulder to see Thomas standing a few feet behind him and watching him. He finally stood and turned around to face the boy. 

“I would really like to kiss you right now.” Thomas’s voice was soft but sure. Newt searched his face for any sign of laughter or mirth. When he found none, he answered. 

“Then kiss me.” 

He sucked in a huge breath as their lips connected. Thomas gripped Newt’s waist in his hands, pulling him flush against himself. Newt tangled his fingers into Thomas’s hair with one hand and cupped his neck with the other. Thomas was solid against him and his lips were smooth, soft. He kissed Newt tenderly, with passion. When they pulled back for air, he wrapped Newt up in his arms. Newt let himself be embraced, held by someone who obviously loved him. It felt so good, he never wanted to let go.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, comments, comments, please! They're really helpful to me in determining if you like this story or not! I can fix things, or add things! Thanks for reading!

Chapter Ten

Everything about Thomas excited Newt. He was new, fresh, very much different from Gally. The way he moved around Newt was so much gentler and kinder, and the way he spoke was softer. There was no doubt in Newt’s mind that he was in love with Thomas. When he really thought about it, as he was doing right now, while laying in Thomas’s arms, it was all a bit silly. Newt had only known Thomas for a couple of weeks, and he was in a relationship, as bad as that was. 

“Newt, you still awake?” Thomas’s chest rumbled when he spoke and Newt snuggled in closer. 

“Yeah.”

“I’ve been thinking about this, about us. I don’t want to hide what we have from anyone. When we go into school tomorrow, I want us to go with pride.” He sounded so sure of himself, so confident. Newt didn’t know what to say, so he just played with a loose string on Thomas’s shirt. Thomas took a long time to say anything else. “You’re mine now, I’m yours, and I want everyone to know it.” 

“Thomas…” Newt pauses, thinking about all his concerns with Thomas’s plans. He couldn’t think of more than a few really good excuses. “What about Gally? He’s sure to think that we’re still together.” 

“Gally can go fuck a duck for all I care.” Newt laughed at how defensive Thomas sounded. He shifted around and lifted his head so that he could look at his newfound lover. He wanted to kiss Thomas again. 

“If you’re so sure, then fine. I trust you.” He smiled at the brunette and Thomas smiled back. Newt got on his hands and knees, leaning over Thomas. Thomas gazed up at him, watching him. He had a smile on his face, so Newt leaned down and captured that smile. Thomas immediately obliged him. Their kiss was slow and sensual, feeling and tasting each other, exploring. Newt felt good, both inside and out. He reveled in the feeling, it had been a long time since he felt good about himself. 

Thomas’s phone suddenly went off, scaring Newt half to death. Thomas laughed and pulled it from his pocket. The mirth in his eyes didn’t fade as he answered it. 

“Hi mom.” His eyes met Newt’s. Newt sat back and waited. He took Thomas’s other hand in both of his and studied the palm. “Yeah, Newt’s house. His parents are gone, so I thought I’d stay with him.” He stopped to listen. His face slowly fell into a frown. “I know that. You don’t think I can handle myself?” 

“Thomas…” Newt started, but Thomas put his finger to his own lips and Newt shut his mouth. 

“Okay. I get it, mom. Bye.” He hung up and set his phone down, huffing. “I have to be in my own house. You should come with me, and we’ll tell my parents that yours are gone and you don’t feel safe.” Thomas reached up and smoothed his thumb over Newt’s cheek. Newt bit at his lip, but then nodded. It was better than saying there all night by himself. 

 

Thomas’s house was warm and his parents were very understanding. They offered him a guest bed, but Thomas said he wanted Newt with him. 

“If Gally starts any shit with you, I’ll be right there and I’ll kick his ass.” Thomas’s words were harsh, but his tone was soft and sleepy. 

“Gally’s bigger than you and he’s a wrestler.” Newt pointed out. 

“So. He doesn’t have my mad ninja skills, does he?” Newt giggled and shook his head. “Good. I was worried for a moment.” 

“Thank you, Tommy. I think I really need you right now.” Newt shifted a little, resting his head in the crook between Thomas’s shoulder and neck. Thomas didn’t answer. He just squeezed Newt’s hip and sighed, closing his eyes. Newt smiled, for the first time in what felt like forever, as he fell asleep.


End file.
